What is the earliest possible flight one should take after disembarking in Vancouver

[skarletohara]

My friend and her husband will be on the Island Princess which ends up

in VAncouver, B.C. Their travel agent has them on a 10:30 flight out

of YVR and I thought that sounded way too optimistic. What time

is disembarkation from the ship anyway? I've always known it to happen

at approximately 8:00 a.m. or so

 

What is the earliest possible flight that should be taken.. noon perhaps?

[Pam in CA]

Vancouver is an absolute zoo and it can take two hours just to get through check-in and U.S. Immigration, not even counting Security. I wouldn't book a flight out of Vancouver earlier than 1PM as you can't guarantee disembarkation to be before 9AM. I've often (not in Vancouver) been on cruises that started disembarkation at 9:30AM, even though the ship arrived hours earlier.

[BS_Outwest]

You should spend a couple of days in Vancouver if you can, beautiful city:D

[kevinsac]

What Pam said is correct....but let me explain a bit more, for those who have not travelled from Canada to the US. You go thru the entire US passport/immigrations/customs process in Canada before you board the flight. All of that would have to be accomplished at the Vancouver airport.....then, once landed in the States, you go right to luggage claim or your connecting flights.

 

I would NEVER book a flight before noon after a morning disembarkation. Just IMHO.....but I play it safe in many ways. I buy travel insurance....just in case. I plan to arrive at least a day before departure....just in case. It makes the rushing and stressing a little bit more tolerable, since so much of that timing process is out of my control.

[Druke I]

Not a risk taker when it comes to flights.

 

I would be looking at first flight after 12noon.

[Coral]

Vancouver's airport is a zoo - but the cruise line and airport are offering a new option this year (modified from the past 2 years).

 

On Princess - they can pay $15 onboard (plus cost of transfer) and once they put their luggage out on the last night, they won't see it again until their home airport (assuming their airline is participating, that they are US Citizens and qualify on the other restrictions). They will also pick up their boarding pass on the ship and the bus will take them to a special location at the airport which will process them quickly. Customs and Immigration through this is nothing like the long lines that Vancouver's airport is known for.

 

I think they can make it but I probably would not have booked them on it.

 

Just recently - on the Sun Princess, embarking started at 8:30 and many people had 10:30 flights.

[Mike2131]

I understand, however, that is not always possible.

Even with the new options to speed Immigration and Customs, I would not suggest a flight earlier than 1:00 PM. The last thing I want at the end of a wonderful vacation is the stress of wondering if we can make an early flight.

[spingal]

Numerous cruises, starting at age 4, including 9 World Cruises on QE2 (she'll always be my favorite )

 

Kevinsac,

 

WOW!!!!!!!! Now you are my type of guy!! 9 World Cruises?!?!? I can only dream!!!! :D

 

Jamie

[MMC]

Our Alaska cruise on the Island Princess ends in Vancouver also. For what it's worth, we disembark at 7:30 a.m. and our flight is at 2:00.

[mpw2002]

Here's a bit more info on the on board check in program from the Vancouver airport website. Basically, you check in while on board the cruise ship, board the bus and go directly to a special terminal at the airport.

 

http://www.yvr.ca/guide/around/onboard/index.asp

[GloriaF]

We are just back from a Coral Princess southbound cruise ending in Vancouver. We had reservations for 2 nights at the Vancouver heraton Wall Center, and were hoping for a later debarkation time. We were the last group to be called and were still off the ship before 9 AM. This may or may not be the norm, I don't know. But I would be afraid to trust it with a flight out.

 

And, I agree, if you can manage to spend some time in Vancouver it is a beautiful city. We enjoyed our 2 full days there very much.

[travellady]

Also, I didn't see mention of the distance from the cruise terminal to the airport. In Vancouver, you can't just hop on the freeway to get to the airport. You (or whoever is driving you) have to navigate many city blocks and stop lights on the way to the airport.

 

My husband and I drove back to Seattle after disembarking the Ryndam and it was a good 45 minutes from the cruise terminal to the airport exit - mainly due to all the stoplights on the way.

[kevinsac]

Leave it to the Canadians to come up with a civil way to transfer from ship to plane. How logical.......they deserve a gold star!:D

 

(Yeah, I know, US immigrations had a hand in implementing this, too......but even as a Yankee, I still give credit to the 'Nucks!) ;)

[Budget Queen]

This is WAY too early, if they are planing on just getting a cab and getting to the airport- allow 45 min. $30+++ca IF they are on the expediated flights, then maybe.

[critterchick]

We had a choice between 11:00 and 2:00pm and chose the 2:00. Well, we could have been off the ship at 7:30, which would have left us plenty of time to get to the airport for the earlier flight! We thought about trying to fly standby, but decided to relax onboard until the last possible moment (9:30), then took our luggage to the Pan Pacific and sat in their lounge for a couple of hours before getting a cab to the airport.

[rolando]

Ok.....I just got back from Vancouver yesterday. Took a cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas, and participated in the new "expedited" check-in process. First, let me say that my flight was scheduled to depart at noon. I also don't like to risk much earlier departures, particularly when making my own air arrangements (thus not the resp of the cruise line if their delays cause me problems).

 

Having said that, we were sitting at the airport gate (post security checks, customs, etc) by 9:00 am so we had to sit and wait 3 hours. And yes, you read right, customs (both Canadian while getting off the ship, and American at the airport) even though we participated in the "expedited check-in process". In my humble opinion, this process is a bust and a scam. The only saving grace was that you truly don't have to mess with your luggage upon debarkation because once they pick them up from your cabin door the last night of the cruise, you don't see them again until baggage claim at your destination airport. Well, and that's the best case scenario. My flight was a non-stop flight from YVR to ATL and I got my bags just fine. My sister and family were on same flight but connected in ATL with flight to FLL and as of this morning, still no bags.... :confused: . At least this was on the return portion of trip and I don't suppose that matters much.

 

Now.....as far as this "expedited process", my personal review is that it is a complete bust and a scam to get an additional $15 or $20 bucks out of you, plus cost of their own transfers. First of all, the RCCL documentation describes the new process available only to passengers who purchase RCCL transfers. The documentation does not disclose that there is an additional cost on top of the transfers. I'm typically against piling into a big bus full of people to get anywhere so I don't usually buy cruise line transfers. After further consideration and in anticipation of a truly unique and simplified immigration/customs clearing process (as described both in the cruise documents and in the YVR airport website) I bought the transfers. When I got on the ship, I found out that there was an additional cost of $20 per person for this expedited process, and that it WAS NOT MANDATORY to use cruise line transfers. Imagine my bewilderment at this point since I thought that it made perfect sense to be in a "confined or sterile" environment from the ship (cleared by US already) to the airport (beyond US border control) without ever entering Canadian space which was the point of this whole process (or so I thought).

 

Now on to reality. The second day of the cruise, we had to fill out a bunch of forms with flight numbers, number of checked pieces of luggage (you could not change your mind about the number of pieces after that time), as well as other details. The morning of arrival, all passengers participating in this program were asked to be in a specified lounge at the crack of dawn (7am sharp). Here, we stood in huge lines in order to get our airline boarding passes, our final bag claim tags, a "sterile" card (which we never had to show anyone and if you keep reading you'll see why), Canadian customs forms :confused: , as well as US customs forms :confused: etc. So, if you'll follow what we've done so far, we've stood in a huge line to get our boarding passes, just like we would have at the airport during regular check-in (in fact, since I was traveling in first class, the airport special check-in desk would have been the way to go with much shorter lines). But that aside, so far the net/net is zero benefit from the process at this point. Then off to debarkation, which begins with the people participating in this process. As we exited the ship, we had to go through Canadian Customs (which explains why we got the form to begin with, but I thought the whole point of this process was to remain "sterile" from ship to beyond US border control at airport to avoid all this stuff). Then we got stuffed in the big bus and set off on the approx 35 minute ride to the airport. Upon arrival, all the buses carrying passengers participating in this program are pulled aside to a remote location and boarded by security personnel who proceed to check everyone's passports, boarding passes, and other travel documentation (????? did I miss something here....isn't the point of this program to skip all this???). After the buses are cleared, they drop you off at a specified area of the airport terminal. Here, the first thing you do is go through security screening (x-ray bags, metal detectors, etc). Huge lines here as a result of only two machines, and participating passengers from three ships arriving at the same time (Coral Princess, Radiance of the Seas, and Zaandam were all there at the same time). Upon clearing that, you guessed it, US Customs!!! Again, two officers for all these people so do the math.

 

In my mind, this explains why you could have participated in this program (with the benefit of not having to deal with your bags) and NOT have to take cruise line transfers since we basically went through the same steps as having entered Canada even if just for making our own way to the airport.

 

Bottom line, if all things go well the morning of arrival, you should have plenty of time to make your flight (with or without this program). I echo the recommendations in previous posts and caution you about potential delays impacting early departing flights (before noon). I also echo the comments about staying in Vancouver a couple of nights either before or after your cruise. It is a lovely city and the people are great. Another word of caution.... GETTING A CAB AT THE PIER, EITHER AT CANADA PLACE OR BALLANTINE PIER IS A NIGHTMARE!!! Last year we stood in line at Canada Place over an hour and 15 minutes to catch a cab to the airport, so make arrangements to be picked up ahead of time!!!!!

 

I know the post went a bit beyond topic and reflects the process as managed by RCCL, but since some of you mentioned it, I thought I'd give you the benefit of my recent experience.

 

Happy cruising!!!

[critterchick]

Our experience on Radiance last September was fine. We didn't know about the expedited process until we boarded, so we didn't buy the RCI transfers. We did fill out the forms, and since we had only brought 2 suitcases with us, it made sense that we would also leave with the same 2. I suppose pax who do a lot of shopping might need to check another bag, but I'm not sure how you wouldn't know how many bags you were going to check on the airplane.

 

Here's one tip that we didn't know about ahead of time: although they tell you to be in the lounge at 7, if you have an afternoon flight and are not doing the RCI transfer (there's no reason to), you have a good hour before you will actually have to go up and get your boarding pass. So don't be in a rush - have breakfast first (we realized at 7:30 that it was going to take awhile, so we flew to the Windjammer & chowed down, returning at 8:15 just as they were calling the last passengers). We then went back to our room to collect our carryon items and decided to wait in the Platinum/Diamond lounge instead of getting off the ship right away and having a 3-4 hour wait at the airport. Because we chose to wait to debark, the line going through Canadian customs was pretty long. But we didn't have to drag our luggage with us, and it only took about 30 minutes. Once we were out, we got a cab right away (this was at Ballentyne) and were at the airport in plenty of time. We bypassed the counter check-in line and went straight to US customs. No special line or terminal, but it still only took a few minutes to get through. Security screening was a longer wait, but that's unavoidable.

 

The airlines can lose your luggage whether you use the expedited program or not. We were very satisfied with it. Next time, we will either book an earlier flight or book a much later one - we'll be able to get around Vancouver without our bags in tow, and that's a big plus to the program, IMHO.

[Budget Queen]

. GETTING A CAB AT THE PIER, EITHER AT CANADA PLACE OR BALLANTINE PIER IS A NIGHTMARE!!! Last year we stood in line at Canada Place over an hour and 15 minutes to catch a cab to the airport, so make arrangements to be picked up ahead of time!!!!!

 

!

 

 

 

 

I have posted MANY times in the past. IF there are significant lines at the cruise terminal downstairs at Canada Place, all you have to do is head upstairs, TIP the Pan Pacific doorman and get a quick cab.

[gg3]

I have posted MANY times in the past. IF there are significant lines at the cruise terminal downstairs at Canada Place, all you have to do is head upstairs, TIP the Pan Pacific doorman and get a quick cab.

 

Because we will be taking the Inside Passage out of Seattle (Diamond), please respond to the same question, for our ret. flight home out of SeaTac. We are scheduled to fly American home to Dallas at 12:45 pm. Princess is suppose to provide us transportation from pier to airport. Will they be waiting for us as we disembark, ready to whisk us away, or is that wishful thinking. Any tips re: this

Thanks so much.

[Dave Hansen]

My friend and her husband will be on the Island Princess which ends up

in VAncouver, B.C. Their travel agent has them on a 10:30 flight out

of YVR and I thought that sounded way too optimistic. What time

is disembarkation from the ship anyway? I've always known it to happen

at approximately 8:00 a.m. or so

 

What is the earliest possible flight that should be taken.. noon perhaps?

I don't think your travel agent has much if any experience on

cruise ships. The 1030AM flight was just easy to get space because

no one ealse wanted it. Be comfortable and get an early afternoon

flight.

To Cruise is not the question,

it is the answer

Dave Hansen

[Budget Queen]

Because we will be taking the Inside Passage out of Seattle (Diamond), please respond to the same question, for our ret. flight home out of SeaTac. We are scheduled to fly American home to Dallas at 12:45 pm. Princess is suppose to provide us transportation from pier to airport. Will they be waiting for us as we disembark, ready to whisk us away, or is that wishful thinking. Any tips re: this

Thanks so much.

 

 

 

The buses leave as they fill, you will have time to make your flight in Seattle, about a 20 min. ride to the airport. If you care to, you can easily just get a cab as well, about $25+ and direct service to your terminal.

[cruiseryyc]

I always allow at least four hours between the time the ship docks and my return flight home.

[cruisingbug]

I am looking at the Island Princess disembarkation schedule - US Citizens with flights before 12:30 pm had first priority, scheduled to leave the ship at 7:30 am - HOWEVER, they did not call these people until after 8 am as we were heading down to breakfast. By the time they got to us in the 9:15 am group everyone was leaving on time again. But first to leave can be delayed by many factors - leaving even at 8 am would put you outside Canada Place by maybe 8:15 (it can be a long walk - and that's WITHOUT picking up luggage as we carried all ours off and didn't put it out the night before) - if you follow BQ's advice and catch a cab upstairs - still have AT LEAST a 30-min cab ride to the airport, and then as everyone says you have US customs to go through BEFORE the flight departs.

 

So, to sum, 10:30 is WAY too early, anything after noon is much better.

[CruiseYVR]

Plain and simple no TA should recommend a flight before 1pm. Our airport in Vancouver is a class act however it is very, very busy during the summer months.

[captainron]

Hi,

Disembarkation formula from the ship (Canada Place or Ballantyne) is like this:

 

Disembarkation Time +

Canada Immigration +

Canada Customs +

Cab to Airport +

Airport Flt Checkin +

Security +

US Customs and Immigration +

Time to pick up a meal for your flight =

 

GOOD LUCK IF SHIP'S CLEARED AND YOU'RE GETTING OFF AFTER 10am for a 1pm flight.

 

Ciao for now!!!